Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was part of the Cold War. America joined the war because of the policy of containment which is stopping the spread of communism by confronting it directly. The war started in 1955 and ended in 1975, it was almost 20 years long. The war was South Vietnam vs North Vietnam. North Vietnam wanted to be communist but South Vietnam did not. America joined the war to try to stop the spread of communism. The anti communist forces were South Vietnam, America, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Khmer Republic, Kingdom of Laos, and New Zealand. The communist forces were North Vietnam, Viet Cong, Khmer Rouge, and Pathet Lao. The communist forces were outnumbered almost 4 to 1 but they still won due to advanced guerrilla warfare tactics. Also American forces were unfamiliar with the landscape making it easy for the communist forces to take them out easily. One of the biggest communist military operations during the Vietnam war was the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was when the communist forces attacked cities and villages in South Vietnam in order to create massive uprisings. While it failed to create uprisings, the Tet Offensive caused the people of South Vietnam to lose faith in the their government. Also it caused political conflict in America. The Battle of Hue was the most brutal battle in the Vietnam War. Hue was an American naval base. On January, 30, 1968 Communist overran Hue and took control of the city. For the next month the anti communist forces tried to take back the city. Although the Battle of Hue was a victory for the anti communist forces, it had massive political impacts. Most of Hue was destroyed making the city useless, and support for the war greatly waned. The final battle of the Vietnam War was the Battle of Saigon. The communist forces bombarded Saigon for a day and then overran the city. Operation Frequent Wind was an American operation which evacuated more than 7000 people from Vietnam. After the Fall of Saigon, Vietnam became united as a communist country.
Life during the Vietnam war was less than favorable. People in Vietnam were under constant threat of being attack by either the communist or the anti communist forces. Many cities and villages were destroyed during the war and this left many refugees with nowhere to go. The Vietnam war also had a political impact. The entire war made America look bad to the rest of the world and made communism look like the better form of government. Also the Vietnam war caused massive protest by American citizens against the government.
Life during the Vietnam war was less than favorable. People in Vietnam were under constant threat of being attack by either the communist or the anti communist forces. Many cities and villages were destroyed during the war and this left many refugees with nowhere to go. The Vietnam war also had a political impact. The entire war made America look bad to the rest of the world and made communism look like the better form of government. Also the Vietnam war caused massive protest by American citizens against the government.